In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we will discuss African American Wellness. The harsh reality is that not all patients are treated equally, and racism has consequences on a person’s health and health care.An Associated Press wire story from 1966, contained Dr. King’s famous quotation regarding injustice in health care—“Of all the forms of in-equality, injustice in health, is the most shocking and in-human.”
My guest today, Dr Michael Lenoir, has been committed to the health and well-being of the African American community for a long time now…believing that “Healthcare is a fundamental right.”
Guest: Dr. Michael Lenoir
Dr. LeNoir has been the CEO of the Ethnic Health America Network, and currently he is CEO and Chairperson of the African American Wellness Project and the host and producer of the Black Doctors Speak Podcast. He is a board-certified, practicing pediatrician in Oakland, and a nationally recognized expert on asthma in inner cities. In the past he served as president of the Ethnic Health Institute at Alta Bates/Summit Medical Center and associate clinical professor in pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. He has been an active member of the National Medical Association and was the 114th President. Dr. Lenore was the host of About Health Radio show on KPFA.org for over 20 years.
Globally, maternal mortality has decreased, but in the U.S. it continues to rise! Maternal health outcomes have become more disparate with black women being three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as white women. Most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, so what are the causes? What work is being done to end preventable mortality and racial disparities?
Amanda P. Williams, MD, MPH, FACOG is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and strategic physician leader focused on eliminating health disparities and leveraging virtual care. She currently oversees clinical innovations for the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative at Stanford University. Additionally, she advises digital women’s health endeavors such as RiskLD, Nike Fitness Club- motherhood program, and nascent startups via High Alpha Innovation. She is clinically based at the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center where until Summer 2022 she served as Director of Maternity Services. She also led the maternity continuum for the Chiefs of OBGYN across 15 medical centers and 44,000 annual births in Northern California. Dr. Williams’ research topics have included: expansion of abortion access, contraception continuation, peripartum depression, and minimally invasive hysterectomies.
Dr. Williams is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Harvard University where she majored in American Medical History and Biochemistry. She completed her medical degree at Emory University School of Medicine where she also received a master’s degree in public health, focusing on health policy and management. She completed her graduate medical training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of California, San Francisco. She has served on multiple state and national committees, including currently the California Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review. After hours, Dr. Williams can be found hiking in the redwoods, taking cardio-hip hop dance class, mentoring women of color in the medical pipeline, or attending her teenage boys’ endless sports activities.
What would it take to have a caring system that addressed health disparities, honored indigenous medicine, and respected the stories and struggles of all people? What are the systems and environmental factors that create conditions of illness? How can we create a culture of care for our children, elders, and the planet? And, what could we be doing differently in this prolonged, confusing, and painful time of Covid-19?
Guest:
Dr. Rupa Marya is a physician, activist, writer, mother, and a composer. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and the founder and worker-director of the Deep Medicine Circle, a WOC-led organization committed to healing the wounds of colonialisim through food, medicine, story, restoration and learning. Her work sits at the nexus of climate, health and racial justice. She is the co-author with Raj Patel of the book Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice. Dr. Marya was appointed by Governor Newsom to and serves on the Healthy California for All Commission where she tirelessly advocates for Single Payer healthcare. She has toured twenty-nine countries with her band, Rupa and the April Fishes, whose music was described by the legend Gil Scott-Heron as “Liberation Music.” To learn more about her go to https://rupamarya.org
Dr. Michael Lenoir and I discussed current health issues, such as Covid 19, disparities in health care for black people, other people of color, and folks who are low income.
Michael LeNoir, MD, is an allergist in the East Bay, board certified in both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and served on the Board the American Association of Certified Allergist. He is also an associate clinical professor at UCSF, and for 20 years he was the Director of Allergy Services at San Francisco General Hospital. He has a special interest in asthma in the African American and high risk communities and genetic polymorphisms. He served as the President of the Northern California Allergy Association. From 1998 to 2000 Dr. Lenoir served as the chair of the National Medical Association’s Allergy and Asthma Section and was the recipient of the first Floyd Malveaux Award. Dr. Lenoir has served as the chairperson of the Underserved Committee of the American Academy of Allergy.
Dr. Lenoir served as the President of the National Association of Physician Broadcasters.In 1994 and 2001, he received the Ken Alvord Distinguished Community Service Award from that organization. He was one of 50 physicians, nationwide, chosen to receive the Pfizer Positive Physician Award from the American Medical Association.Additionally, in 1988, he was named the Oakland Citizen of the Year by the Oakland Tribune and named one of America’s leading African American Allergist by Black Enterprise Magazine. Since 2000, Dr. Lenoir has been named as one of the 200 best physicians by San Francisco or by Oakland Magazine. He has served as the President of the Ethnic Health Institute at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Chair of the Board of the African American Wellness Project. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors at Children’s Hospital Oakland. From 1981 to 1993, Dr. LeNoir served as the medical editor for KCBS radio, hosting a 2 hour weekly talk show. Since 1985, he has been the CEO of the Ethnic Health America Network that produces the Telly award winning Ethnic Health America Program, a 30-minute TV health magazine at one time aired in 1400 cities nationwide on MBC Network. He continues to do radio and podcast programs, such as Black Doctors Speak collaborating with blackdoctors.org. He has 4 daughters and 5 grandchildren.
A recent article that caught my attention in the New York Times stated: “Climate Change Tied to Pregnancy Risks, Affecting Black Mothers Most.”
We can’t tackle the Climate Emergency, Health Disparities, and Social Justice in isolation. We need to look at policies and approaches that promote health and well being for individuals, communities, and the world.
Guest: Angel V. Shannon, MS, CRNP, is a board-certified adult-geriatric nurse practitioner with over twenty-five years experience in chronic disease management and mind-body medicine. She is the founder and clinical director of Seva Health and Seva Health Media, providing integrative healthcare and education for adults and seniors. Drawing upon a childhood immersed in environmental stewardship and decades of diverse clinical experiences in critical care, emergency medicine, trauma care, community home health, and insurance administration, Angel takes a unique, whole person approach to disease prevention in her private practice.
Angel holds strong ties to community and public health, serving as an active board member of the Maryland Community Research Advisory Board at the University of Maryland School of Public Health Center for Health Equity (MD-CRAB), and a former adjunct professor of Family and Community Health at Pennsylvania State University College of Nursing. An avid gardener, she recently earned her Master Gardener Certification from the University of Maryland Extension and is working to develop community based gardening programs for active seniors. Her latest career endeavor is creation of the Seva Institute, an organization that redefines healthcare and continues her scholarship in mind-body medicine, provides organizational training in mindfulness based stress reduction, individual coaching and personalized restorative retreats. Learn more at www.sevahealthgroup.com
Michael LeNoir, MD, is an allergist in the East Bay, board certified in both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and served on the Board the American Association of Certified Allergist. He is also an associate clinical professor at UCSF, and for 20 years he was the Director of Allergy Services at San Francisco General Hospital. He has a special interest in asthma in the African American and high risk communities and genetic polymorphisms. He served as the President of the Northern California Allergy Association. From 1998 to 2000 Dr. Lenoir served as the chair of the National Medical Association’s Allergy and Asthma Section and was the recipient of the first Floyd Malveaux Award. Dr. Lenoir has served as the chairperson of the Underserved Committee of the American Academy of Allergy.
Guest: Angel V. Shannon, MS, CRNP, is a board-certified adult-geriatric nurse practitioner with over twenty-five years experience in chronic disease management and mind-body medicine. She is the founder and clinical director of Seva Health and Seva Health Media, providing integrative healthcare and education for adults and seniors. Drawing upon a childhood immersed in environmental stewardship and decades of diverse clinical experiences in critical care, emergency medicine, trauma care, community home health, and insurance administration, Angel takes a unique, whole person approach to disease prevention in her private practice.